The Spanish flu sweeps across Wisconsin in 1918

Newspaper articles on Spanish flu

The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide and more than 8,000 in Wisconsin. Over 103,000 Wisconsin citizens became infected between September and December 1918, resulting in statewide measures to contain the spread of the disease. These articles, from September and October 1918, capture some of the fear that gripped communities stricken by the flu and describe the efforts of local health officials to keep infection at bay, including instructing people to wear masks.